Never Been Free
by CartoonAnimeGirl
Summary: Just like a stone dropped into water, I was dropped into this war. And, like that stone, I was never going to reach the surface ever again. .o Animated. Slight Optimus/OC o.
1. Prologue: Darkness and Light

Never Been Free

A Transformers: Animated fan fic

By CartoonAnimeGirl

Transformers and related characters are © to Hasbro. Zephyr and related characters © to me, CartoonAnimeGirl. This story is © 2009-???? by CartoonAnimeGirl. Do not steal my characters. Do not copy story without MY permission.

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Prologue: Darkness and Light

_Nothingness…a dark black nothingness…that was all that surrounded her. She was on her knees, crying, trying to block out the whispers of all the hateful words reaching her ears, telling her lies that she easily believed. She felt like she would be swallowed up by the jaws of darkness…_

_Darkness…_

_Light…_

_There was light._

_A bright, glowing ball of white light floated down to her. She looked up at it, amazed and clamed by the sight of it. She slowly held out her hands to catch it, and there it landed softly. It was warm, kind, and safe…the voices she heard earlier had disappeared._

_**Do not worry, dear one. The storms raging inside you will be diminished soon. Someone is coming to help you**__._

_**Help me?**__ she whispered, not daring to speak loud._

_**Yes. You need his help, for only he can save you from falling any further.**__ There was a deep chuckle. __**He may even need you just as much as you need him.**_

_**Need…me?**__ She was very unsure. __**Who?**_

_**It all depends greatly on your choice.**_

Suddenly, the ball brightened to an extent in which she could not bear, and she shut her eyes tightly. When she opened them again, there were two balls of light. In her left hand was a blue one, and in the right hand was a red one. They floated speedily out in front of her and disappeared as two large figures appeared in their place. Both spoke at the same time.

Your choice…Zephyr…


	2. Street Brawl with the SUV

Chapter One: Street Brawl with the S.U.V.

"_Zephyr…I'm ringing on your phone Zephyr…aw come on Zeff! Don't tell me you're asleep again! ZEPHYR?!?!_"

The young woman groggily opened her eyes, noticing the scenery moving past her. She sat up with a start as she frantically looked around her, then, finally realizing that she was still on a train, relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.

"_Zephyr Alana Epsilon! If you don't answer right now, I will come out through your cell phone and personally slap you awake!_" It finally dawned on her that she should probably answer the call. She dived into her coat pocket, pulled out her silver cell phone, quickly flipped it open and shouted. "Zane, stop being a little toad! That's psychically impossible!"

"_Oops! Hehe…sorry about that Zeff. I thought you were still asleep._"

She huffed impatiently. "Uh-huh…what other things would you say if I was still asleep?"

Zane laughed on other end of the line. "_Okay, okay, you got me. I was just calling to check up on ya, kiddo. You in Detroit yet?_"

Zephyr's expression changed quickly as she looked outside the train's window. It was nighttime (about 9:00 PM) and it was a pretty clear night, the stars shining and the moon glowing bright and full. Down below was a wide, clear landscape, with a few bushes and tiny stray bodies of water. She looked ahead, barely making out a city brightened by its various types of lights. "Not quite, but I can see it out my window. I should be there soon."

"_That's good to hear…_" There was a long pause, and then Zane let out a sigh. "_I really wish I could be there with you._" Zephyr smiled sadly, deeply wishing for the same thing in her heart. It was odd…not having her jokester of a brother around. It was like the air around her suddenly felt heavy without his cheerful spirits there to lift it up.

"You've got a duty to keep, remember? I would give you a swift kick in the butt if you came here right now." She took in a deep breath, trying not to sound emotional. "But…I miss you too."

"_Hey, you need this more than I do, Zeff, so go have the time of your life out there for me, okay? Besides, I can always visit you on when I'm off duty._" Suddenly, there was some loud voices in the background. "_Drat, they've caught me. Listen, I need to go now, but I'll find a way to talk to you later. Love you Zephyr._" He blew a kiss to her over the phone.

She giggled. "Love you too Zane." She blew a kiss back and shut her phone, slipping it back into her pocket. Then, with a groan, she slid really low in her seat, moving her arm to cover her eyes. For sure, she knew that she was exhausted. By what? Everything. Hopefully, everything she did up until this point would be worth it. _It better… _she thought …_at least for my sake._

"Hey, if anyone's at home right now, pick up!" The small but rather loud voice startled her and she sat up again. She looked around, not seeing anyone in her compartment, and became curious as to where the voice came from. She got up from her seat, and walked over to peek into the next compartment, which was also quite empty. _Odd… trains are usually packed to the brim with people. Why isn't anyone around? This is really starting to creep me out…_

An aggravated sound was heard. "Darn, I guess you guys are out on patrol again. I'd better just leave a message then. Listen, I've looked everywhere I could today and still couldn't find my dad. I'm getting worried…" The voice started to choke up. "I-It's been two weeks, and there's been n-no sign of him. I'm almost ready to give up!"

In the corner of the compartment, Zephyr noticed, was a little girl, around 7 to 8 years of age by the looks of it. She had dark skin and maroon-colored hair, which was pulled up into two messy pigtails. She was slumped on the corner of the seat, huddling the thin white jacket she had on with one arm, while holding a small orange cell phone in her other hand. Her dark red eyes were brimmed with tears. _Aww…she's so adorable! Zephyr gushed in her mind. But she's crying. Why is she alone on this train anyway?_

"I-I'll be home soon, okay? I love you guys. Bye." She clicked her cell phone off and tilted her head towards the ceiling, trying to stop herself from crying. Zephyr took this as a chance to go and talk with her. She came out from behind the door.

"Hey. You all right?" The little girl immediately turned her head to her and gasped in surprise. She immediately began wiping her tears, trying to hide any evidence of her sadness.

"I'm fine. W-what's it to you?" Her voice was still shaky, but acting tough despite that fact. Zephyr smiled.

"Because I don't cry when I'm fine." She pulled out a tattered white handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to the girl, who slowly took it. "Everyone has their weak moments sometimes. It's okay to cry." She sat down next to her, and the little girl didn't seem to mind as she wiped the rest of her tears away and blew her nose.

"T-thanks. I kinda needed that." She cocked her head and finally smiled. "Who are you anyway? I don't think I've ever seen you on the train before, miss..?"

"Epsilon." Zephyr finished. "Zephyr Epsilon. I've just been traveling around from place to place. It's been a while since I've been to Detroit."

"Well," the girl said, "maybe I can show you around when we get there. A lot can change when you're gone a while." She giggled. "I'm Sari, by the way. Sari Sumdac."

Zephyr looked at her a moment, and then laughed. "That's pretty funny. If you hadn't said your full name, I probably would've thought you were apologizing to me or something."

Sari laughed with her. "Yeah, I get that a lot." Her dark red eyes sparkled. "How long are you going to stay in Detroit? I'd like to see you again sometime."

Zephyr's expression changed into one of shock, taking in what was just said. "I…I really don't know. I'm hoping to stay there permanently, but I don't have the money to buy an apartment right now." She scratched her head in embarrassment. "I usually just sleep wherever is comfortable for me. It's not much of a big deal." At this, Sari's jaw dropped.

"You don't have a home?" Zephyr frowned. Of course she did…sort of. But that was the place she was trying to get away from. Sleeping in the streets was better than anything THAT place had to offer.

Sari suddenly smiled. "Well, if you need a place to stay, you could always stay at my place. You could stay there until you find a job that can pay for your apartment."

"Oh no, Sari. I couldn't impose on y—" The redhead cut in.

"You wouldn't because I'm ASKING you. Zephyr, please?" She clasped her hands out in front of her and pouted. Zephyr shook her head and chuckled.

"Shoot, I can't say no when someone's acting all cute." Sari squealed with joy, but Zephyr held a hand out. "But that doesn't mean I'm saying yes either. First off, it has to be okay with your family too. Don't go deciding things without asking anyone."

Sari simply smiled. "Don't worry. I have a feeling they'll be okay with it…"

After that, the two girls talked the rest of the way to Detroit.

--

It a little over an hour before the train finally stopped. Despite the fact that there were only two passengers on board, the doors opened. The speakers inside the train blared a robotic female voice. "Stop number 10: Detroit, Michigan. Thank you for riding with us, and come again."

Zephyr grabbed the two suitcases she had from the overhead storage above her seat, and dashed to the doors, where Sari was patiently waiting for her, and both exited the train. Zephyr suddenly realized she missed the warmth of her train compartment as the coolness of the night blazed at her face, giving her cheeks a light pink tint.

"Whoa. Is it always this cold? It almost feels like it's going to snow." Sari looked up at the sky.

"No, but it did snow a few weeks ago. This is probably just the cool weather fading off." Her gaze went distant, and she muttered, "Probably a good thing too…the cold keeps reminding me of that day…" A pair of cold red eyes flashed through her memory.

"What was that? I didn't catch that last bit." Zephyr asked.

"N-nothing!" Sari exclaimed. "A-anyway, I should probably take you over to my house. It's only a few miles from here."

Zephyr sighed. She was used to walking everywhere she went, so what would a few miles more be to her? At least she would have a temporary place to stay this time, and had this very kind girl to thank for that. Her luck seemed to slowly be changing.

"All right. We better start walking then. By the way, what's your family like? You never mentioned them on our way up."

Sari's expression turned very nervous at the question. "My family? W-well you see—"

She was cut off very quickly as both were suddenly slammed into the ground. Zephyr, whose face was practically kissing the ground, could feel someone moving on top of her, binding her hands together with what felt like rope. Her head was then harshly grabbed and forced upward.

"Huzzah! We have captured the girl! That was easier than expected!" Zephyr glanced to her left to see a man dressed in a very odd costume that vaguely reminded her of Robin Hood. In his hand he held up Sari, who was also bound and was struggling against her captor.

She was about to call out to her friend when she was suddenly forced to her feet. The hand gripped tighter onto her head. "But what about this girl here? I don't see why we needed to grab her too." Her head was turned to look into a pair of goggled eyes, and took notice that her captor was a gangly looking man wearing a peculiar orange and black jumpsuit. He gave her a toothy grin. "Now what do we have here? Ain't you a pretty one."

"Nanosec, cut the crap. She needed to be captured so she wouldn't squeal, snitch, let the cat out of the bag. We've got to cut to the chase and act fast before the cops come onto us." Out of the darkness stepped a woman, whose face was covered with black veil, and was wearing a burgundy dress with a matching colored hat; around her neck was a rather large clock. Beside her was a little girl, wearing a bizarre pink and black princess outfit with a black mask over her eyes.

One thing occupied Zephyr's mind right at that moment: _I'm being kidnapped by a bunch of weirdoes in ugly outfits! What the heck?!_ She sagged in Nanosec's grip, dumbfounded.

"Why don't we just take the stupid key and go? Those big bad robots might come to rescue her!" the princess girl whined.

The woman walked up to the man who was holding Sari, the redhead still trying to struggle free, and grabbed her by the cheeks, forcing Sari to look at her. The small girl spat in her face and glared. "You're not going to get my key! The Autobots are going to be here soon and they're gonna whoop all of your butts!" The woman smiled.

"On the contrary, sweetie, they don't even know you're here." She ripped the key off of Sari's neck. "So…who's going to stop us?"

Zephyr could stand it no longer. "How about me?" She then dropped to her knees and rolled forward, which caused Nanosec to fall forward with her and slam into the ground, releasing his grip on her. She hopped back onto her feet and dashed toward the man holding Sari. The woman jumped out of the way as Zephyr rammed into him, making him let go of Sari. She turned around to face them. Both men got back up, ready to fight.

Okay…I'm up against four people and my hands are tied up. Not the best situation, but… She looked over at Sari, who surprisingly looked unafraid and was standing her ground. Whatever that key is, it must be important to Sari. I have to get it back for her!

"Feisty girl. But you'll need more than that to take down S.U.V. honey." The woman motioned to the two men. "Angry Archer, Nanosec, you take care of the older girl. Me and Professor Princess can handle the runt." Zephyr glared at them and stepped in front of Sari.

"Over my dead body, creeps." But just as soon as she said that, something grabbed her shoulders and smashed her up against the wall of a nearby building. Dizzy from the blow to her head, she looked up to see blurred Nanosec, grin spread wide.

"I wouldn't say things like that if I were you. My suit gives me speed, so there's no use in trying to run away." She felt something cold and wet run down the back of her neck. _B-blood? I'm bleeding?_ She couldn't think straight, and her vision became blurrier by the minute. She felt Nanosec let go and dropped to her knees, gasping and coughing.

"And I warn you, my dear girl, I wouldn't try anything funny." The Angry Archer pulled an arrow back onto his bow. "This arrow will shoot electricity through you once it comes into contact. You won't be able to move"

"C-crap…" Zephyr rasped, struggling to raise her head. She could barely make out Sari, who was being held by the neck by the woman, thankfully not harmed, but staring right at her in horror.

"Let her go!" Sari bellowed "She's done nothing to deserve this! I'm the one you want! Let her—"

A loud screeching of tires entered the background, and Zephyr could make out the bright headlights of several cars in front of her. But she could no longer make sense of what was around her anymore. Her head finally fell forward, leaving her body flat on the ground, with her eyes closed. The only thing that seemed to work was her hearing, and several sounds passed by her ears: A series of mechanical clicks, the sounds of the group of thieves being taken down (by whom, she could not tell), police car sirens blaring towards her, and a series of different voices. After all this, Sari's voice broke through.

"Zephyr! Zephyr!" She couldn't feel the little girl's hands trying to undo her ropes, making her suppose her body was numb. "Zephyr, please say something!" She heard a slicing sound, and then it finally seemed that her hands were free again, though she still couldn't move them.

"The back of her head is bleeding…" she heard a different voice say. "She needs medical attention."

"Ratchet, transform and take her to the nearest hospital," another voice said. "It's the least we can do after her efforts to protect Sari." She felt something gently lift her off the ground, though it didn't feel like hands.

"I want to stay with her!" declared Sari.

"I know what your intentions are, Sari, but no. After what happened tonight, you need to come home with us," the same voice said.

"Bumblebee and stay with me. He can stay parked right outside the building, just in case. Please Optimus…I promised her she could stay with us."

"Sari! Why in Primus' name—" a gruff voice retorted.

"Because she has nowhere to go!" she shouted angrily. "You guys didn't leave me behind when Powell kicked me out! So why should you start abandoning someone now?"

There was a long pause of silence, Sari's words sinking in to the people she shouted at. Then, a fourth voice spoke up.

"I can stay with Sari. It's no problem really…"

"A-and," a fifth voice said, "If it makes anyone feel better, I'll stay with Sari too, just in case Bumblebee needs backup."

The voice, who apparently belonged to someone named Optimus, sighed. "All right, I guess it's settled then. "We'll take…uh…"

"Zephyr." Sari informed him.

"Right. Prowl and I will take Zephyr's things to the base. Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee will take Sari and Zephyr to hospital. We'll meet up sometime in the morning and see how this girl is doing. We'll discuss what happens then."

There was a series of agreements all around, and the last thing she could remember of that night was being laid on something soft, doors being shut, and the engine of the car carrying her away.


End file.
